France bans Ben‑Gvir entry

France barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering French territory on Saturday, widening European pressure on one of the most prominent figures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the move after footage circulated of Ben-Gvir taunting activists detained from a Gaza-bound flotilla. The decision came one day after Canada, Britain, France, Germany and other countries issued a coordinated statement opposing Israeli moves in the West Bank, including plans tied to the Jerusalem-Ma’ale Adumim corridor. In Israel, opposition leader and former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman separately accused Netanyahu of turning the country into a “banana republic” amid criticism tied to U.S.-led diplomacy with Iran. ### Why did France bar Ben-Gvir from entering? Jean-Noël Barrot said on May 23 that Ben-Gvir was banned from French territory “as of this day,” according to statements reported by multiple outlets. Barrot linked the move to Ben-Gvir’s conduct toward activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea, including French and other European citizens. Barrot also said France, together with Italy, was seeking European Union-level sanctions against the Israeli minister. (politico.eu) France’s action followed criticism of a video posted by Ben-Gvir showing bound detainees from the flotilla kneeling while he mocked them. Reports from AFP-based coverage said the French government described his actions toward the activists as reprehensible. Poland had also moved a day earlier to deny Ben-Gvir entry, according to Israeli media reports. ### What was in the allied statement on the West Bank? (politico.eu) Canada, Britain, France, Germany and other governments issued a joint statement on May 22 opposing Israeli policies in the West Bank and backing a two-state solution. The statement, as reported by Israel National News, warned against moves connecting Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim and said the signatories strongly opposed advocacy of annexation and the forcible transfer of Palestinians. (al-monitor.com) Anadolu and other reports said European governments had warned that conditions in the West Bank had deteriorated in recent months amid settler violence and settlement expansion. The Ma’ale Adumim corridor, often referred to in reporting on the E1 area, has long drawn international opposition because of its implications for territorial continuity in a future Palestinian state, according to prior diplomatic statements referenced in current coverage. (israelnationalnews.com) ### How did the dispute spill into Israeli politics? Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party and a former defense minister, said Netanyahu was turning Israel into a “banana republic,” according to reports on May 23 and May 24. Lieberman tied his criticism to emerging diplomacy over Iran and said any agreement signed with Tehran could not be trusted under its current leadership. (aa.com.tr) Lieberman’s remarks did not address the French entry ban directly in the cited reports, but they added to the public criticism facing Netanyahu from within Israel as foreign pressure mounted on members of his coalition. Prime Minister Netanyahu had also condemned the flotilla incident, according to Israeli media reports cited in coverage of France’s decision. ### What happens next in Europe? France and Italy have called for European Union sanctions against Ben-Gvir, placing the issue before a wider bloc discussion rather than leaving it as a bilateral dispute. (timesofisrael.com) No EU-wide measure had been announced in the cited reports as of May 24. The next concrete milestone in the parallel West Bank dispute is a construction tender tied to the E1 settlement area that some reports said was due on July 6. (israelnationalnews.com) The countries that signed the May 22 statement included Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and their objections are now part of the public diplomatic record around that process. (refdesk.ca) (al-monitor.com)